"I find myself admiring Aqing's judgment more and more."

The old woman shook her head with a smile and likewise left the Ji Prince's Manor.

An old friend made when he was still a nobody, and yet still one he kept in his heart. So long as the Xu family followed him with their whole hearts, why should they ever fear being sold out or cast aside?

The host of golden bodies vanished from the sky, condensing into a dozen-odd golden beads that shot back into the War Temple's great hall.

The many divine spirits all stood assembled within the hall.

Clustered around that black-robed young man.

The War Temple Ancestor returned to the offering altar and cheerfully picked at its toes. "Happy! Impressive!"

Zhu Jue rubbed at his brow, helpless.

Still, in the Ancestor's present state of doddering idiocy, it did spare them a good deal of trouble.

Who the War Temple's leader was now went without saying.

They hovered in orderly ranks, awaiting his decree.

Shen Yi held a golden booklet, swiftly transcribing something, and after a long while he handed what he'd written to Wu Dao'an. "Senior Brother Wu, I recommend we dissolve the War Temple's four courts and establish places of cultivation throughout the Nine Provinces."

He needed more faith and prayer now.

Build formations. Found sects.

Pare down the existence of the great clans and schools as much as possible, and gather all the faith into the War Temple.

"What is this?"

Wu Dao'an turned two pages, and though he couldn't quite follow it, he just barely recognized what it was, and cried out instinctively, "A complete Spirit-Transformation technique?"

The Parting-Flame Heart-Burning Palm — a Rare technique on par with the Divine-Empyrean True-Thunder Sword Art.

On the strength of this technique alone, a power could rocket upward, perhaps even reaching a stature to stand shoulder to shoulder with Great Qian.

Of course, only those with a solitary fire root could cultivate this technique; it was nowhere near enough to sustain Great Qian's whole path of cultivation.

Shen Yi wasn't in any hurry, though.

What wasn't…